Players With Detroit Lions Ties in Super Bowl LX

Former Detroit Lions safety among those in Super Bowl this season.

Seattle Seahawks safety Quandre Diggs (6). | Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

The Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots are set to battle it out Sunday in Santa Clara, Calif., with the Lombardi Trophy on the line.

Sunday's game is a rematch of a game played 12 years ago, where the Patriots knocked off the Seahawks. Now, with both teams in different situations but similar identities, they will battle for a championship.

The Detroit Lions are one of the few teams in the NFL which have not appeared in a Super Bowl in the NFL's 60 years of the big game. However, there will be players with ties to the team who will suit up in Sunday's game.

Below are the players with ties to the Lions who belong to the two teams competing for the Lombardi Trophy in Sunday's game.

New England Patriots

CB Carlton Davis

The Lions acquired Davis prior to the 2024 season, trading for him from the Buccaneers in the final year of his contract. Davis was a nice addition for the organization, establishing himself as the team's top cornerback.

In his lone season with the Lions, Davis started 13 games and recorded two interceptions and two fumble recoveries. His season ended prematurely, as he suffered a broken jaw late in the regular season and did not return to action.

Davis elected to depart in free agency this offseason, signing a three-year deal with the Patriots. He has started every game this season. He has not picked off a pass, but has 10 passes defensed and 69 combined tackles.

The veteran cornerback is looking for his second Super Bowl ring, as he won one with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020.

QB Joshua Dobbs

Dobbs spent a brief stint with the Lions, as he was with the practice squad for a short period of time in 2022. He was with the organization for 16 days before being signed to the Tennessee Titans' active roster.

The journeyman quarterback is with his ninth team since being drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2017 NFL draft. He has appeared in four games for the Patriots as Drake Maye's backup, completing 7-of-10 passes.

LB Jahlani Tavai

Tavai entered the league as a second-round pick of the Lions in 2019, and didn't quite pan out. He was waived prior to his third NFL season, and landed with the Patriots where he has been ever since.

After beginning his time in New England as a reserve player, he blossomed into a significant contributor and has signed two contract extensions. This year, Tavai has appeared in 12 games with seven starts and recorded 42 combined tackles and a forced fumble.

LB Christian Elliss

Elliss has not ever suited up for the Lions, but was born in Rochester Hills, Michigan and is the son of former Lions defensive tackle Luther Elliss. After bouncing around three different organizations in his first season, Elliss has found a home in New England.

His father played nine seasons in Detroit, spanning 1995-2003. Elliss played 126 games for the Lions, notching 27 career sacks and 324 combined tackles in that time. He finished his career with one season playing for the Denver Broncos.

The linebacker has appeared in 15 games with 13 starts, with 94 combined tackles and a forced fumble to his credit this season.

RB Craig Reynolds

A training camp addition of the Lions in 2021, Reynolds quickly became something of a cult hero in Detroit. He was affectionately nicknamed "Netflix" because he was watching the streaming service when the Lions acquired him.

Reynolds carved out a role in Detroit, working as a secondary running back option for several seasons. He had a 100-yard game against the Cardinals late in the 2021 season, and stepped up in a big way in 2024 when David Montgomery suffered a knee injury.

Unfortunately for Reynolds, the production decreased throughout the 2025 season as he fell on the depth chart behind Jahmyr Gibbs, Montgomery, Jacob Saylors and Sione Vaki. He was waived in November and landed on the Patriots' practice squad. He was placed on the practice squad injured reserve on December 10.

Seattle Seahawks

S Quandre Diggs

Diggs was a sixth-round pick of the Lions in 2020 and quickly ascended into a contributing role for the team. He had back-to-back seasons with three interceptions in his third and fourth years, but ultimately was traded in a surprising move in 2019.

The Texas product became a star in Seattle. He made three straight Pro Bowl appearances from 2020-22, establishing himself as a huge part of the Seahawks' secondary. He signed with the Tennessee Titans in 2024 and began this season with the Titans, but was cut in November.

After being cut, Diggs signed with the Seahawks' practice squad. He was elevated to the active roster for a spell, and has appeared in one game, but is currently on the team's practice squad. Diggs said earlier this week that he had an opportunity to return to Detroit when the team tried to poach him off Seattle's practice squad this year, but he elected to remain with the Seahawks.